V. Shantaram
was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium
as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate
humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other. Initially
Shantaram made mythological and historical films.

However
after returning from Germany his outlook changed. His later films used
several techniques from German Expressionist Cinema.
Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram in Kolhapur, with hardly any education started
his career in the theatre as a curtain puller with the Gandharva Natak
Mandali. By closely studying the personalities he saw flitting across
the silent screen, the boy developed his skills of mimicry, and became
known for his portrayals of Western screen favorites.

He joined
Baburao Painter's Maharashtra Film Company and learnt the intricacies
of film-making. The new apprentice was put to every conceivable task in
film production, from a cleaning job to that of a laboratory assistant,
a special effects man and a performer. He played the young farmer who
finally revolts in Painter's Savkari Pash (1925).

First film directed by him was in 1927, Netaji Palkar. In 1929 along with
four other partners V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal, S.B. Kulkarni
he formed the Prabhat Film Company. Shantaram's first really significant
film at Prabhat was Ayodhyacha Raja (1932) inspired by the sensation of
Alam Ara, the first talkie of India.

By 1934,
Shantaram had made films in Marathi, Hindi and Tamil for a growing audience.
Amrit Manthan (1934), his film made after his return from Germany was
set in the Buddhist era was a strong plea against the custom of human
sacrifice.
Amar Jyoti (1936) was an interesting feminist film about a woman who rebels
against injustice by becoming a Pirate Queen. It was a rare Prabhat film
with stunts and action. After this Shantaram went on to direct three of
his most famous films at Prabhat.
Kunku/ Duniya na Mane (1937) was the story of a young woman refusing to
accept her marriage to a much older man. Shantaram pares down his narrative
to bare essentials and keeps his treatment starkly realistic. The background
music is eschewed, retaining only natural sounds - effects and voices
in his sound track.
Manoos/ Aadmi (1939) a love story of a policeman and a prostitute is arguably
regarded as Shantaram's finest film. It might well be so for Manoos is
significant not only in terms of thematic content but also as a work of
motion picture art, as well as for its technical innovations and artistic
integrity particularly in the use of physical spaces to represent mental
states of the characters.
Shejari/ Padosi (1941) was a plea for communal harmony. It's interesting
that in the Hindi version Mazhar Khan, a Muslim plays the Hindu and Gajanan
Jagirdar, a Hindu played the Muslim in the film. The blowing up of the
dam, which forms the climax of the film, was a tour de force of technical
ingenuity.

After his classic trilogy Shantaram left Prabhat. He started Rajkamal
Studios in 1942. Earlier, Shantaram took over as Chief Producer of the
Film Advisory Board (FAB) and did even make a few films for the FAB but
when Gandhiji gave the call of 'Do or Die' in 1942, he resigned and Ezra
Mir took over.

Shakuntala (1943) was Rajkamal's first film. The first film from India
to be commercially released abroad, Shakuntala ran for two years in Bombay,and
was highly successful with the Indian audience, though it could not make
any impact on the foreign viewers.

Shantaram
married its heroine Jayshree even as he remained married to his first
wife. The best of their films together was Dr. Kotnis ki Amar Kahanai
(1946). The film based on K.A. Abbas's short novel And One Did Not Come
Back was an impressive Anti-Japanese War effort film. It is remarkable
for its powerful Nationalistic theme. The film was shown at the Canadian
National Exhibition in Toronto in 1947.

Amar Bhoopali
(1951), the musical biopic of Honaji Bala popularized the musical dance
form of the Lavani. The film and its classic song Ghanshyam Sundara Shirdara
became cult classics in Marathi Cinema.

Dahej (1950) on the evils of dowry had its strong moments and his dance
epic Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), his first film in Technicolour
was a box-office smash.

Do Aankhein
Barah Haath (1957) saw Shantaram returning to social concerns again. The
film looked at a jailor (Shantaram) and his efforts to reintegrate hardened
criminals back into society. Shantaram's characteristic neo-expressionist
imagery is much in evidence in the film and the film is the closest Shantaram
came to matching his famous trilogy at Prabhat. The film won many National
and International Awards including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film
Festival and the Samuel Goldwyn Award for Best Foreign Film, besides the
President's Gold Medal as the Best Feature of 1957 in India.

Navrang (1959), the film, looks at an artiste who glamorizes his wife
in his fantasies to make her his muse, was a success at the box office.

He
launched his daughter from Jayshree, Rajshree, as a heroine with Geet Gaya
Patharon ne (1964) but among his later films Pinjra (1972), a bi-lingual
in Hindi and Marathi stands out.

Shantaram also served as Chairperson of the Children's Film Society in the
late 1970s. His last film Jhanjaar (1986) was a misfire and flopped badly
at the box-office.

In his
long career, which spans almost the entire history of Indian cinema, Shantaram
has made a vast number of films, in many of which he acted the main role.
At a well preserved sixty, he acted the role of King Dushyant, the romantic
hero, with great aplomb in his color version of the Shakuntala story.
But it would not be amiss to point out here, that if he is remembered
by posterity, it will be

for
his early films, where spectacle and socially relevant theme were blended
with unique artistry.